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49ers HC Deals Painful News to Christian McCaffrey Fantasy Owners After Brian Robinson Jr. Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 4:33 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers are set to embark on a season they hope will be filled with redemption and NFL conquest.

They had hoped to take the next step in their quest to become Super Bowl champions last season after a crushing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the big game in 2024, where they gave up a walk-off touchdown in overtime.

Unfortunately, they were dealt an awful hand with injuries galore and some defensive regression. The injuries hurt every aspect of the team, but perhaps the most important one occurred to star running back Christian McCaffrey.

The 49ers acquired him at the trade deadline back in 2022 and the rest is history as he experienced a career revival. McCaffrey was the main engine that got San Francisco to the Super Bowl, so when he dealt with a mysterious Achilles injury last summer, the campaign seemed doomed before it even began.

Now the former Carolina Panther is healthy, but the Niners aren’t taking any chances with a banged up running back room, so they traded for Brian Robinson Jr. from the Washington Commanders.

The acquisition didn’t appear to have serious implications initially for McCaffrey, who is a perennial top pick in fantasy football, but head coach Kyle Shanahan put out an alarming statement for his owners.

HC Shanahan on trading for Brian Robinson Jr.:

"We brought him here to be our No. 2 back."
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 24, 2025

The former MVP candidate was the consensus top pick in fantasy for two consecutive seasons, but his average draft position has slipped a bit due to his injury-riddled season. Robinson Jr., who is a much bigger back, was expected to get much of the goal line and short yardage work, but now it looks like he’ll be a much bigger piece of the offense.

McCaffrey is a much better pass catcher, so he will still get a lot of work in the passing game, but this is concerning news for any of his fantasy owners. San Francisco famously had a running back committee prior to having McCaffrey and it looks like that ideology could be making a comeback.

Robinson Jr. probably won't siphon as many carries as previous backups have in Shanahan’s system, but any extra touches taken from McCaffrey is troubling for his fantasy managers. Now they must hope that the three-time Pro Bowler can return to his heightened form so he can sustain his bell cow status in San Francisco’s offense.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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